


A Small Moral Dillema

by theresnomeaning



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 22:30:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3546107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theresnomeaning/pseuds/theresnomeaning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus felt bad for blaming the wrong person for the mess, but it was good not having his father's wrath upon him or his mother for once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Small Moral Dillema

Severus spotted a black cat in the kitchen and swallowed nervously when he noticed that the animal was dangerously close to the glasses. If his paws went only a little to the left there would be a mess. If only he could use his magic Severus wouldn't be so worried, but he had just finished his second year at Hogwarts and therefore couldn't use magic during the summers, not even a  _Reparo_.

How had the cat got in the house was anyone's guess, and all Severus knew was that he needed the animal to be gone before it broke anything and before his father was back from work - or from the pub or wherever he went to drink. His mother was upstairs, and told Severus that she was ill, but the teen knew better than to believe that story. If the cat broke anything very soon the boy would be ill too.

Severus prayed mentally to whatever god might exist while he watched the cat waltzing among the glasses... His prayers, however, weren't listened and the sound of breaking glasses echoed in the kitchen.

Shit.

He looked at the clock, breathing somewhat relieved because his father was late, but that also meant that he could arrive at any moment. Quickly he opened the kitchen's door and shunned the cat away. Then Severus proceeded to gather the pieces of glass in a corner, making tiny cuts on his hands in the process.

He counted and noticed that only two of the glasses had been broken... What wouldn't make his father any happier...

He needed to think, and think quickly. Tobias would never believe that a cat was the responsible for the damage... He most likely would prefer to believe that Severus did it - or worse, he would blame Eileen for the mess.

So Severus needed a believable story...

He looked at the house in the other side of the road... His father had a problem with the man that lived there, Mr. Smith - Tobias had a problem with  _everyone_ , actually - and perhaps Severus could put the blame on Mr. Smith...

He listened the front door opening and ran to the backyard, looking for a rock... He found one of a medium size and took it with him, walking hurriedly to the kitchen and putting it near the glasses... His father was probably drunk, and he wasn't a genius, so the fabricated scene wouldn't look too obvious.

When Tobias walked into he kitchen the smell of alcohol was evident.

"What is the meaning of this, boy?" Tobias roared. "What have you done this time?"

Severus felt a bit bad for blaming their neighbour, but Mr. Smith was a grown man and could defend himself... Perhaps he could even teach his father a lesson or two.

"It wasn't me," Severus said. "It was one of the Smith's kids - the oldest one, I think... He was in our backyward, I suspect he was trying to steal something. I told him to leave, but then he threw a rock through the window," he pointed at the kitchen's window. "and said that it was his father who told him to do it."

Tobias narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists... He was dangerous when those signs appeared, but Severus had conviction that this time both he and his mother were safe from the man's wrath.

"Clean this mess, boy." Tobias said and turned on his heels. "If that idiot thinks that he can just tell his spawns to broke my things he is very wrong..."

Severus sighed in relief and finished cleaning the floor. Too soon he heard the screaming in the Smiths' door. If he was lucky, Mr. Smith would call the police and Tobias would spend a night in jail.


End file.
